Tomorrow is the first day of school for my oldest boys, third and first grades. I often wonder what my mom worried about when she sent me off to school each year, if she even worried at all. Seeing as how it is my mom, I know she had to have worried, but I wonder if her worries were ever as big as mothers today have.
We thought Columbine changed everything, but Columbine we could kind of rationalize. The killers themselves were victims of bullying, of cries for help unanswered. Then Sandy Hook happened and we realized there is no reason for any of it. Sal was a first grader when Sandy Hook happened. I don't know if it's just me, or if others are just really good at hiding it or pushing it aside, but I think about it a lot. It was so close to me as a parent and an educator. When the pictures of those children were broadcast, I saw him in every single face.
Sending our kids off to school takes on a whole new meaning now. We pray for their success. We pray for them to make friends and not be bullied. We pray they don't sit alone at lunch. We say all the prayers our mothers said for us. But, we also pray they come back home because one day twenty first graders didn't.
So...
Dear God,
Please watch over and protect the children this new school year. Keep them and the educators who watch over them safe. May they have happy memories of their classes and grow as bright individuals, each with something wonderful to offer the world.
Amen
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